Broadcasts.com - "Facing a Global Teacher Shortage: The Story from New Zealand" (Child Care Rockstar Radio)

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Facing a Global Teacher Shortage: The Story from New Zealand

Published: May 12, 2023, 12:05 p.m.

This week features Sue Kurtovich, all the way from New Zealand. Sue is a specialist in early childhood education (ECE) administration and management with over 30 years of sector experience. She shares her journey into Early Childhood, and how her extensive knowledge of the ECE regulatory environment helps others through her Early Childhood Management Consulting business. Sue talks about challenges in teacher staffing during the early years, her predictions for New Zealand\\u2019s regulations and teacher shortages in early childhood, and the qualities of generosity, kindness, and practicality that continue to serve her along the way.

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Key Takeaways:

[1:25] Sue walks us through her journey into Early Childhood and how she got interested in the business, regulation, and compliance side.

[5:44] How Sue got involved with the Early Childhood Council.

[7:00] What does Sue\\u2019s consulting company provide?

[12:42 What is Sue\\u2019s home life like?

[13:36] What are some of the biggest differences in the culture of early childhood in New Zealand versus the U.S.?

[17:00] What are some of the issues that face childcare providers right now?

[26:33] Will New Zealand loosen the regulations in early childhood?

[30:54] What is the funding like for childcare in the community, and how can we do better?

[30:58] The importance of mentorship.

[40:00] Why hasn\'t Sue retired? Many reasons. First, she loves what she does and takes great pride in helping others.

[41:02] One of Sue\\u2019s proudest moments was achieving a turnaround in the government policy back in the 2000s when the government wanted to discriminate against privately-owned services.

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Quotes:

\\u201cWe\\u2019re fairly tenacious sort of women, and we were determined to get a preschool going for our children. So, we thought we can\\u2019t be the only people that are looking for a preschool. And, a nice preschool.\\u201d \\u2014 Sue [5:05]
\\u201cI worry about burnout for those people who own the business and work in the business and the pressures on them.\\u201d \\u2014 Sue [16:36]
\\u201cThe downside for the Early Childhood sector was that we probably didn\\u2019t have a true understanding of our reliance on immigration when it came to our teaching workforce.\\u201d \\u2014 Sue [17:19]
\\u201cWe\\u2019re very mindful of what we need to put in place to keep the good teachers that we\\u2019ve got to ensure we look after them.\\u201d \\u2014 Sue [19:39]
\\u201cSometimes people just want to know how they can do something better.\\u201d \\u2014 Sue [38:13]
\\u201cI feel quite proud every day because every day I help somebody. It\\u2019s like that\\u2019s the rewarding part about it.\\u201d \\u2014 Sue [32:45]

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